Apple says the sound issues only affect "a small percentage" of AirPods Pro buds manufactured before October 2020, and not the cheaper models. Photo / Apple

Just one year after releasing its fancy AirPods Pro wireless earbuds, the world's most valuable company is having to replace them for free when they start making annoying noises.

Apple (or an Authorised Service Provider) will swap the $449 AirPods Pro buds that are making "crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone" for free.

Another fault occurs when using the active noise cancellation where it does the opposite of what it's supposed to and increases the volume of background sounds like street noise and aeroplanes.

Apple stressed the issues only affect "a small percentage" of AirPods Pro buds manufactured before October 2020, and not the cheaper models.

The replacement programme covers two years from the date of purchase.

The charging case the buds are housed in is not affected and will not be replaced – just the buds.

A replacement is required because as teardowns have demonstrated, the buds are impossible to fix.

"AirPods are not designed to be serviced. No hardware components can be accessed without damage to the device," iFixit said in its review, where it described the buds as "disposable".